Shoe brush



March 15, 1966 Q CQRATA 3 239 864 SHOE BRUSH Original Filed June 6, 1962 Filel 3 INVENTOR CHRISTOPHER F. LOCORATA NEYS United States Patent 3,239,864 SHOE BRUSH Christopher F. La Corata, Cold Spring, N.Y. Original application June 6, 1962, Ser. No. 200,550. Divided and this application Sept. 8, 1964, Ser. No. 402,048

7 Claims. (Cl. 15-29) This is a divisional of application Serial No. 200,550, filed June 6, 1962, which in turn is a continuation in part of application Serial No. 50,446, filed August 18, 1960, and now abandoned.

It has been proposed heretofore to construct a powerdriven rotary brush for shining shoes and means have been employed within the brush head for applying polish, such means being generally an extensible daubing brush. However, the proposed devices have been unduly cumbersome because of the number and complexity of parts required to extend and retract the polish applicator.

The present invention is an improvement over devices referred to above which are known to the applicant. Disclosed herein is a power-driven rotary shoe brush placed in combination with a shoe polish applicator in a manner not requiring extension or retraction of the latter. In its preferred form, the applicator comprises a storage bottle or container for liquid shoe polish which has been provided with a roll on ball-type applicator tip. The brush head of the invention is adapted to be driven by commercially available portable power packs which conveniently may be energized by transistorized Storage cells. Advantageously, the brush head and the polish applicator are readily removed by a simple quick disconnect means from the portable power pack so that different heads for polishing shoes of different colors may be quickly and easily interchanged.

These and other aspects of the invention will become apparent upon an examination of the following description relating to a particular embodiment, and of the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a view showing the rotary shoe brush head of the invention and its connection with a portable power pack;

FIG. 2 is a view of the brush head during the application of polish to a shoe;

FIG. 3 is a view taken in the direction of the arrows 3-3 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is a modification according to the invention.

Referring now to the drawing and initially to FIGS. 1-4 thereof, a rotary shoe brush head which has been constructed according to the invention has been illus' trated. The brush head 10 has a cylindrical body 11 adapted to receive bristles 12 which depend therefrom in a generally circular configuration. With reference to FIG. 3, it will be seen that the bristles 12 protrude from the lower surface of the body 11 except from an area in its center.

The body 11 has been provided with a threaded bore 13 which receives a corresponding threaded portion of a stud 14 affixed in turn to the base of a storage container 16. The container 16 may be constructed of any commercially available material, however, it is contemplated that the container will comprise a storage bottle made of polyethylene or polystyrene adapted for the reception of liquid shoe polish and which is made suitably rigid for the purpose as will appear. The container or bottle 16 has been provided with a lower end or applicator tip 17 having a plastic or glass ball 18 mounted for rotation therein to provide roll on or ball-type application of the liquid polish within the container. The ends of the bristles 12 extend for a distance beyond the end of the applicator tip 17 of the storage bottle 16.

Advantageously, the body 11 of the rotary brush is integrally connected to a shaft 19 which at its upper end has been provided with a laterally extending pin 20. The end of the shaft 19 and the pin 20 are adapted for quick connection with a driving receptacle 21 which forms part of a conventional portable power pack 22. Accordingly, the receptacle 21 defines a curved slot 23 oriented such that rotation of the receptacle will securely seat the pin 20 within the end of the slot.

The power pack 22 has not been illustrated in detail since power packs adapted for the purpose are readily available on the commercial market. In the illustrated embodiment, the power pack has been shown without electrical connections for the electric motor drive contained therein, and thus, the motor will be powered by storage cells which may be readily recharged by house current. However, alternatively, the power pack may be provided with means for direct connection to house current.

With reference to FIG. 2, the novel rotary shoe brush of the present invention has been shown in position for applying liquid polish to a shoe 24. During this operation, the head 10 may be stationary, or if desired, may be driven by the power pack while the applicator tip 17 is brought into contact with the shoe. When a sufficient quantity of liquid polish has been dispensed, the user will simply release some of the downward pressure applied during the application of the liquid polish, and with the ends of the bristles 12 only in contact with the shoe, bring about a gloss or shine thereto by rotat ing the brush head. Complete separation between the shoe and the applicator tip 17 may be maintained dur ing the latter operation by very slightly cocking the brush head relative to the shoe.

According to the modification illustrated in FIG. 4, a rotatable shoe brush head 25 has been provided with a storage bottle 26 which inv all particulars is the same as that previously described in connection with FIGS. 1-3. In the embodiment of FIG. 4, however, the storage bottle 26 is mounted to depend from the body of the head 25 at a position which is somewhat offset from the center of rotation thereof. The configuration shown possesses the advantage that the user may, while applying liquid polish, drive the head 25 and thus achieve a degree of relative motion of the applicator tip against the surface to which polish is to be applied. This would, of course, eliminate or diminish the necessity for the user manually to move the brush head laterally with respect to the surface to which the polish is applied.

The construction of the disclosed combination shoe brush is advantageous in several particulars. When a storage bottle 16 becomes empty, it is a simple matter to remove and replace the exhausted unit. Furthermore,

r the entire shoe brush head including the storage bottle containing liquid polish of a given color may easily be connected to or disconnected from the power pack by means of the pin-in-slot arrangement shown. Consequently, different heads for difierent colors of shoe polish may be quickly and readily interchanged for use. Finally, the novel shoe brush head of the invention is extremely simple and economical to produce and trouble free in operation. These factors make the present invention a significant advance over prior power-driven shoe brushes of comparable function since the latter devices quite generally are not commercially feasible because of their relatively complex design.

Since the foregoing description relates to particular embodiments which are merely representative, changes may be made therefrom without departing from the clear teaching of the invention. Accordingly, in order to fully appreciate the spirit and scope of the invention, reference should be made to the appended claims, in which:

I claim:

1. In combination with a brush for shining shoes and the like comprising a rotatable body having bristles embedded therein and depending therefrom and power means for rotating said body, the improvement in combination therewith comprising a liquid storage container afiixed to said body depending in a direction generally parallel to said bristles, said storage container having an applicator tip having valve means operative upon frictional contact of said tip and the surface of a shoe for releasing regulated amounts of liquid to said applicator tip from the interior of said container for application to said shoe surface, the storage container being fixed in relation to said body such that the bristles normally extend for a distance beyond the applicator tip of said container.

2. In combination with a brush for shining shoes and the like comprising a rotatable body having bristles embedded therein and depending therefrom, and power means for rotating said body, the improvement in combination therewith comprising a liquid storage container affixed to said body depending in a direction generally parallel to said bristles, said storage container being fixed in relation to said body, said storage container having a ball-type applicator tip for releasing regulated amounts of liquid to said applicator tip from the interior of said container upon frictional contact being established between said tip and the surface of the shoe, said bristles normally extending for a distance beyond said applicator tip.

3. A brush according to claim 2 wherein said body cornprises a generally cylindrical member rotatable about the longitudinal axis thereof and said storage container is attached to said body such that the applicator tip thereof is offset for a distance from the center of rotation of said body.

4. A brush according to claim 2 wherein said body defines attachment means accessible externally of the body from a direction of the bristles and toward the body of the brush, and said storage container has corresponding attachment means at the base thereof opposite the applicator tip to permit ready'interchange of said container with another.

5. In combination with a brush for shining shoes and the like comprising a generally cylindrical rotatable body member rotatable about the longitudinal axis thereof having bristles embedded therein and depending therefrom and power means for rotating the body, the improvement in combination therewith comprising a liquid storage container affixed to said body at the center of revolution thereof and depending in a direction generally parallel to said bristles, said storage container having an applicator tip having valve means operative upon frictional contact of said tip and the surface of a shoe for releasing regulated amounts of liquid to said applicator tip from the interior of said container for application to said shoe surface, the storage container being fixed in relation to said body such that the bristles normally extend for a distance beyond the applicator tip of said container.

6. In combination with a brush for shining shoes and the like comprising a generally cylindrical rotatable body member rotatable about the longitudinal axis thereof having bristles embedded therein and depending therefrom and power means for rotating the body, the improvement in combination therewith comprising a liquid storage container affixed to said body at the center of revolution thereof and depending in a direction generally parallel to said bristles, said storage container having an applicator tip having valve means operative upon frictional contact of said tip and the surface of a shoe for releasing regulated amounts of liquid to said applicator tip from the interior of said container for application to said shoe surface, the storage container being fixed in relation to said body such that the bristles extend for a distance beyond the applicator tip of said container, and quick disconnect means for attachment to a source of power for driving said body portion.

7. A brush for shining shoes and the like according to claim 5 wherein said storage container has a ball-type applicator tip.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,405,059 1/1922 Morgan l5556 X 1,952,910 3/1934 Decker 15-29 2,091,369 8/1937 Lemoine et al. 15580 2,728,928 1/1956 Beeren 1529 FOREIGN PATENTS 196,951 4/1923 Great Britain.

' CHARLES A. WILLMUTH, Primary Examiner. 

1. IN COMBINATION WITH A BRUSH FOR SHINING SHOES AND THE LIKE COMPRISING A ROTATABLE BODY HAVING BRISTLES EMBEDDED THEREIN AND DEPENDING THEREFROM AND POWER MEANS FOR ROTATING SAID BODY, THE IMPROVEMENT IN COMBINATION THEREWITH COMPRISING A LIQUID STORAGE CONTAINER AFFIXED TO SAID BODY DEPENDING IN A DIRECTION GENERALLY PARALLEL TO SAID BRISTLES, SAID STORAGE CONTAINER HAVING AN APPLICATOR TIP HAVING VALVE MEANS OPERATIVE UPON FRICTIONAL CONTACT OF SAID TIP AND THE SURFACE OF A SHOE FOR RELEASING REGULATED AMOUNTES OF LIQUID TO SAID APPLICATOR TIP FROM THE INTERIOR OF SAID CONTAINER FOR APPLICATION TO SAID SHOE SURFACE, THE STORAGE CONTAINER BEING FIXED IN RELATION TO SAID BODY SUCH THAT THE BRISTLES NORMALLY EXTEND FOR A DISTANCE BEYOND THE APPLICATOR TIP OF SAID CONTAINER. 